What to do if the property manager gave my rental garage to another tenant before I cleaned it out and the new tenant stole $1300 worth of my things?
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What to do if the property manager gave my rental garage to another tenant before I cleaned it out and the new tenant stole $1300 worth of my things?
There was no determined amount of time I had to move out of the garage and I assumed I had until the end of the month. The manager is admitting that he gave it to the new tenant without doing a check on it first and admitting that there was no set time frame for me to move out. He’s saying that I’m going to have to file a claim with my insurance but my insurance won’t cover this.
Asked on July 26, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You could sue the new tenant for the value of your stolen belongings (and report him/her to the police--this was a crime, after all); you could also sue your landlord for your items' value. Landlords have the obligation to take reasonable care of former tenant's property, at least for a reasonable period of time (e.g. at least 30 days). If the landlord negligently (carelessly) or intentionally causes damage or other loss to the tenant's property, the landlord has breached his duty and the tenant may be able to recover compensation in court.
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